Illinois cuts off funding for its public universities - Nova Safo, Marketplace

The timing of the budget crisis could also affect next year's enrollment, said Barbara Gellman-Danley, the president of the Higher Learning Commission, the agency which accredits universities in the Midwest. "It is a very bad time to [have this crisis] when decisions are being made about fall enrollment," Gelman-Danley said, "Students may choose not to attend based on the precarious situation of the institutions." The Higher Learning Commission has sent notices to all 57 public universities and community colleges in Illinois, asking for details about their financial status. It is not just institutions that are suffering. Illinois has also stopped sending money to students in universities and community colleges, who qualified for need-based state grants known as MAP, or the Monetary Award Program. http://www.marketplace.org/2016/03/14/education/illinois-cuts-funding-its-public-universities